Vivergo Fuels receives final scheduled wheat delivery

SALTEND BIOETHANOL PLANT FACES AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

- By ANDREW SPENCE

VIVERGO Fuels, the UK's largest bioethanol producer, has taken its last scheduled wheat delivery amid uncertainty over the site's future.

The firm's campaign calling for government intervention has been supported by local politicians including Mayor Luke Campbell, who recently visited the site.

The plant, which is based at the Saltend Chemicals Park, near Hull, has been impacted the US-UK trade which removed an existing 19 per cent tariff on ethanol products imported from the United States. Vivergo Fuels warns that it is unable to compete with the cheaper and less regulated US products without the tariff.

The last scheduled wheat delivery comes after it was revealed a £1.25bn green jet fuel investment hangs in the balance and could be relocated abroad if the Vivergo plant is to close. Meld Energy warned that the situation threatens to derail its ambitious plans for a "world-class" sustainable aviation fuel venture on the Humber.